Ottomans



June 1953 H. GLEITSMAN ETAL 2,838,097

OTTOMANS Filed June 13, 1956 FIG. 4

ATTORNEYS I constitute the rear legs thereof.

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OTTOMANS Harold Gleitsman, New Rochelle, and Carl Fuerst, Bronx, N. Y., assignors to Gleitsmans, Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 13, 1956, Serial No. 591,228

6 Claims. (Cl. 155--169) The present invention relates to Ottomans.

So-called posture chairs, now in wide-spread use, are recommended as a health attribute due to the complete relaxation that they provide. However, said posture chairs are relatively expensive, cumbersome, and do not lend themselves readily to the decorative schemes of living rooms or the like.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a relatively inexpensive and simple device which will convert any conventional chair or seat into a posture chair and which will not interfere with the decor or decorative scheme of furniture used in the particular room in'which said device may be used.

Another object is the provision of an ottoman or the like, which, when associated with a conventional chair or seat, will convert said chair or seat into a posture chair.

Another object is the provision of a backless seat of the bench type which can function either as an ottoman or for converting a conventional chair into a posture chair.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best modes presently contemplated of carrying out the invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a posture chair or seat formed by the ottoman of the present invention in association with a conventional chair;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the ottoman illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; V

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vie'w 'taken in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. V

Referring now to Figs. 1 through 5 of the drawings in detail, there is shown an ottoman pursuant to the present invention. The ottoman 16 is in-the form of a bench or backless seat. More specifically, the seat it) has a framework base constituted byfa pair of interconnected U-shaped tubular frames or end members 12 and 14. Each U-shaped member is provided with the opposing legs'16 and 1 .8 which are interconnected by a cross piece 2%. The paired legs 16-16 constitute the front legs of the bench 10 and the paired legs 18-18 Each leg is provided at its lower end with a cup 22 of rubber or other nonskid material.

The rear legs 18 are interconnected by the tubular rods or struts 24 and 26' suitably secured thereto. As here shown, the legs 18- are each provided with a lower vertical slot 28 and with an upper vertical slot 30. The opposite ends of the lower strut 24 are flattened, as at 32, and force fit into the adjacent slot 28. The opposite ends into the upper slot 30,

atent ice The front legs 16 are interconnected by the tubular rod or strut 34, the opposite ends of the latter being secured to the legs 16 in the same manner as described for the securement of the rods 24 and 26 to the rear legs 18.

Provision is made for a bench .top or seat-36 which may be provided with suitable padding material. Pursuant to an important feature of the present invention, the bench top or seat 36 may be adjusted to various tilted positions thereof. In this connection, the seat 36 is mounted by the front strut or rod 34, provisionbeing made for the bolts 38 which secure the seat 36, adjacentthe front thereof, to the strut. The bolts 38 extend through companion arcuate slots 40 in the periphery of the strut to provide a clearance for the bolts during the pivotal movement of the seat about the strut. While only one bolt 38 and one companion slot 49 are illustrated herein, it will be understood that there are a plurality of such bolts and companion slots provided along the length of the strut.

The seat 36 is also provided, at the undersurface 42 thereof, with a pivoted brace'or prop 44. More specifically, a pair of spaced brackets 46 are secured to the undersurface 42 of the seat 36, adjacent the rear corners thereof, for pivotally mounting the pivot pin portions 48 provided at the free ends of a pair of rods 53% which extend upwardly from the cross piece 52 of the brace or prop 44. The opposite ends of the cross piece 52 are bent at right angles, as at 54, and said bent ends are adapted for selective engagement in apertures 56 provided in the rear legs 18. It will be noted that said apertures are provided in a vertically extending row in each leg, being preferably equally spaced longitudinally of the associated leg so as to provide different levels at which 7 the brace or prop 4 may selectively engage the rear legs18 for positioning and releasably holding the top or seat 36 of the bench in either in horizontal or tilted positions thereof.

In the normal position of the seat 36, the latter is disposed as in broken line in Fig. 3. It will be noted that in said disposition, the seat, which is secured at the front thereof by the bolts 38 extending through the tubular member 34, rests adjacent its rear edge on the upper tubular member 26 which extends between the rear legs 18 and the bent end portions 54 are engaged in the lowermost openings 56 of the legs 13 and thereby releasably prevent pivotal movement of the leg rest on the frame. The bights or cross portions 20 of the U-shaped frame members 12 extend above the upper surface of the seat 36 and straddle the latter, providing convenient handles for carrying the bench to. The seat maybe readily rotated about the front member 34 by lifting the rear edge of the seat, the bolts 38 being free to move in the slots 40. In order to retain the seat 36, in any adjusted dispositions thereof, wherein the undersurface 42 thereof is raised above the upper rear cross member 26, as indicated in full line in Fig. 3', the bent ends 54 of the brace 44 are engaged in the pair of apertures 56, which are at the desired level or height to provide the desired degree of tilt for the seat 35. It will be apparent that said disposition may be changed, as desired, by merely pivoting the brace 44 in a direction to disengage the particular apertures 56 within which it is engaged, as indicated in the broken line dispositions of the brace in Fig. 3, so as to raise or lower the seat 36, as may be desired and to secure the latter in another adjusted disposition thereof.

As illustrated in Fig. 1,.it will be noted that the bench 10 may be associated with a conventional chair 58 to convert the latter into a posture chair arrangement. In this connection, the rear of the bench 10, namely the side thereof which is provided with the brace 44, is positioned at the front of the chair 58, and the bench seat 36 is adjusted to an angular or tilted position thereof most comfortable to the occupant of the chair 58. The angularly disposed bench top constitutes a tilted leg or foot rest which provides for the support of the chair occupants legs, between the knees and the feet thereof, as shown, without causing any strain or tension beneath the knee. This provides for the chair occupants complete relaxation, his legs sloping or hanging downwardly, and

his feet hanging free over the front of the bench it so i as to provide for the same relaxing result achieved by a so-called posture chair.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiments of our invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the idea or principies of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A floor-supported leg-rest bench adapted to be positioned adjacent the front of a chair, and comprising a rigid frame including front and rear pairs of supporting legs and a front cross member, extending between the upper parts of said front legs, a leg support pivotally mounted on and supported by said front cross member to swing on a horizontal axis and adapted to lie either in a horizontal position or in a tilted leg-supporting position in which said leg support is inclined forwardly and downwardly from substantially the horizontal level of the chair seat in said adjacent position of the leg support; said rear legs each having a plurality of vertically spaced openings accessible externally of said frame, and

prop means for propping said leg support in an inclined position pivotally attached to said leg support and depending downwardly therefrom and having end portions adjacent said rear legs, respectively, removably engageable with said rear legs, respectively, in selected ones of said vertically spaced openings for vertically adjustable securement of said prop means to said rear legs for correspondingly adjusting the position of said leg support on said frame.

2. A floor-supported leg-rest bench adapted to be positioned adjacent the front of a chair, and comprising a rigid frame including front and rear pairs of supporting legs a front cross member, extending between the upper parts of said front legs, a leg support pivotally mounted on and supported by said front cross member to swing on a horizontal axis and adapted to lie either in a horizontal position or in a tilted leg-supporting position in which said leg support is inclined forwardly and downwardly from substantially the horizontal level of the chair seat in said adjacent position of the leg support; said rear legs each having a plurality of vertically spaced openings accessible externally of said frame, and prop means for propping said leg support in an inclined position pivotally attached to said eg spuportl and depending downwardly therefrom and having end portions adjacent said rear legs, respectively, removably engageable with said rear legs, respectively, in selected ones of said vertically spaced openings for vertically adjustable securement of said prop means to said rear legs for correspondingly adjusting the position of said leg support on said frame, certain of said openings being so positioned, that when said leg-support is in horizontal position, said end portions of said prop means are engageable in said last mentioned openings for releasably preventing pivotal movement of said leg support on said frame, said leg rest when in said horizontal position providing a seat and movable from said horizontal seat position to said inclined position.

3. A floor-supported leg-rest bench adapted to be positioned adjacent the front of a chair, and comprising a rigid frame including front and rear pairs of supporting legs and a front cross member, extending between the upper parts of said front legs, a leg support pivotally mounted on and supported by said front cross member to swing on a horizontal axis and adapted to lie either in a horizontal position or in a tilted leg-supporting position in which said leg support is inclined forwardly and downwardly from substantially the horizontal level of the chair seat in said adjacent position of the leg support, said rear legs each having a plurality of vertically spaced openings accessible externally of said'frame, and prop means for propping said leg support in an inclined position, said prop means comprising a pair of members pivotally attached at their upper end to said leg rest support and depending downwardly therefrom and a cross member connecting said pivotally movable members to each other and having end portions adjacent said rear legs, respectively, removably engageable with said rear legs, respectively, in selected ones of said vertically spaced openings for vertically adjustable securement of said prop means to said rear legs for correspondingly adjusting the position of said'leg support on said frame, said end portions being pivotable toward and away from said rear legs at the outer side of the frame and being gravity biased into engagement with said selected ones of said spaced openings on said rear legs.

4. A fioorsupported leg-rest bench adapted to be positioned adjacent the front of a chair, and comprising a rigid frame including front and rear pairs of supporting legs and a front cross member, extending between the upper parts of said front legs, a leg support pivotally mounted on and supported by said front cross member to swing on a horizontal axis and adapted to lie either in a horizontal position or in a tilted leg-supporting position in which said leg support is inclined forwardly and downwardly from substantially the horizontal level of the chair seat in said adjacent position of the leg support, said rear legs each having a plurality of vertically spaced openings accessible externally of said frame, and prop means for propping said leg support in an inclined position, said prop means comprising a pair of members pivotally attached at their upper end to said leg rest support and depending downwardly therefrom and a cross member connecting said pivotally movable members to each other and having end portions adjacent said rear legs, respectively, removably engageable with said rear legs, respectively, in selected ones of said vertically spaced openings for vertically adjustable securement of said prop means to said rear legs for correspondingly adjusting the position of said leg support on said frame, certain of said openings being so positioned that when said legsupport is in horizontal position, said end portions of said prop means are engageable in said last mentioned openings for releasably preventing pivotal movement of said leg support on said frame, said leg rest when in said horizontal position providing a seat and movable from said horizontal seat position to said inclined position.

5. A floor-supported leg-rest bench adapted to be positioned adjacent the front of a chair, and comprising a rigid frame including front and rear pairs of supporting legs and a front cross member extending between the upper parts of said front legs; a leg support pivotally mounted on and supported by said front cross member to swing on a horizontal axis and adapted to lie either in a horizontal position or in a tilted leg-supporting position in which said leg support is inclined forwardly and downwardly from substantially the horizontal level of the chair seat in said adjacent position of the leg support; and prop means for propping said leg support in an inclined position pivotally attached to said leg support at the rear thereof and depending downwardly therefrom, the rear part of said frame having immovable portions thereof releasably engaged by said prop means in different selected vertical positions respectively thereof for holding said leg rest either in inclined position or in a horizontal position on said frame, said prop means being pivotable toward and away 7 from the rear legs at the outer side of the frame and being gravity biased into engagement with selected ones of said immovable portions.

6. A floor-supported leg-rest bench adapted to be positioned adjacent the front of a chair, and comprising a rigid frame including front and rear pairs of supporting legs and a cross member extending between the upper parts of said front legs; a leg support havinga padded upper surface pivotally mounted on and supported by said cross member to swing on a horizontal axis and adapted to lie either in a horizontal position to provide a seat or in a tilted leg-supporting position in which said leg support is inclined forwardly and downwardly from substantially the horizontal level of the chair seat in said adjacent position of the leg support; and prop means for propping said leg support in an inclined position pivotally attached to said leg support at the rear thereof and depending downwardly therefrom, the rear part of said frame having immovable portions thereof releasably engaged by said prop means in different selected vertical positions respectively thereof for supporting said leg rest in a selected inclined position on said frame, said prop 6 means being pivotable toward and away from the rear legs of the frame and being biased into engagement with selected ones of said immovable portions, said prop means being visible and directly accessible manually for the release thereof in each of said different selected vertical positions thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 299,947 Bardsley June 10, 1884 363,751 Longfellow, May 24, 1887 2,460,148 Roth Jan. 25, 1949 2,474,814 Billet July 5, 1949 2,541,664 Pollack et a1 Feb. 13, 1951 2,566,498 Revercomb Sept. 4, 1951 2,728,374 Whalen Dec. 27, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 665,884 France Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N01,; 2,838,097 June 10, 1958 Harold Gleitsman et a1.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent. should read 'as "corrected below.

Column 3 line 44, after "legs" insert and line 55 for "eg spuportl" read leg support Signed and sealed this 3rd day of October 1961,

(SEAL),

Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD I Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer I USCOMM-DCI 

